Google announces the Chromebook Pixel, but is $1,300 too high a price?

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Earlier this month, a video leaked that revealed what purported to be a sleek new Chromebook with a Retina-class, 2560×1700 touchscreen display. If it was real, we guessed the device wouldn’t be able to sport the low price tag that helps make Chromebooks so appealing. Well, it turns out the Chromebook Pixel is real, and it isn’t cheap. Today, Google made the Chromebook Pixel official. The train of thought that suggested the Pixel wouldn’t be cheap was proven accurate, as the new Chromebook’s entry level price is $1,299.

The Chromebook Pixel comes in two models. The base model retails for $1,299, with a 32GB SSD, while the step-up model will retail for $1,449, and feature a 64GB SSD as well as LTE. The Retina-class 3:2 display measures in at 12.85 inches, which makes for 4.3 million pixels at an industry-leading 239 pixels per inch. The touchscreen boasts a 2560×1700 resolution, and is infused with a 0.55mm layer of Gorilla Glass.

The Pixel’s speakers are hidden behind the backlit keyboard, and a 720p webcam is built into the anodized aluminum alloy body. The Pixel is powered by a 1.8GHz Core i5 processor, and has 4GB of DDR3 RAM. The battery lasts for around five hours of playtime, and the unit also sports Bluetooth 3.0, two USB 2.0 ports, a mini display port, 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi, and an SD and MMC card reader for when you need more than just 32GB or 64GB of space. The entire package weighs in at 3.35lbs.

Basically, it’s a Chromebook with a small SSD, a decent processor, and an admittedly pretty Retina-class display. Is that worth $1,300?

The entry-level 11-inch MacBook Air, similar to the Pixel in that it’s a tiny, lightweight laptop, runs a 64GB SSD, 1.7GHz Core i5 processor, and 4GB of RAM sells for $999. However, you don’t get the fancy Retina display (yet). A 13-inch MacBook Air has a 128GB SSD, a 1.8GHz Core i5 processor, and 4G of RAM for $1,199, but you still don’t get the Retina display. In order to compare to the Retina display, you have to move into MacBook Pro territory. The cheapest Pro is $1,499 — $200 more than the Pixel — and runs a 128GB SSD, a 2.5GHz Core i5, 8GB of RAM, and a seven-hour battery. That’s two hours longer than the Pixel will last.

If you compare the Pixel to Microsoft’s entry-level Surface Pro, you can get a 10.6-inch Retina-class display, 64GB of storage space, a Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM, and an upgrade to USB 3.0 for $899. You can use the left-over $400 to buy a 32GB iPad Mini, if you make expensive purchases just to prove a point, that is.

So, is a Chromebook Pixel worth the entry cost? Ultimately, that’s your decision to make, and it’s certainly not an underpowered machine. However, we can’t help but notice a veritable sea full of more powerful — or at least, less expensive — direct competition.

Wow, no bashing this as a gimmick and worthless device? Why has this device not been trashed for even thinking about charging a ridiculous price for 32GB SSD? What can you do with this outside of using Google’s crap? At least with a MBA or MS Surface Pro you can really use it with your current software and get real productivity. I guess your article is being objective but why now?

Max

My favorite part is where the fanboy manages to say, that you can buy a Surface and an Ipad mini instead. That’s some funny stuff! You can buy sub equipment for the same amount of money? By that logic i can buy 5 or 8 different android devices for one MacBook Pro. Useless fanboys!

I love google’s phones tablets and browser but this I have to be honest is really not what I would expect from the creators of some of the most widely used software on the planet! First Chrome OS is free for download so why not just go put it on a device with better hardware and specs at half the cost? it really doesn’t make sence

Anything Google is too high a price; even their email and search engines. Remember, the entire purpose of Google is to gather as much information about you as possible, then sell it to anyone that asks.

“If the ‘Service’ is free, the product is you.” Boycott everything Google.

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